Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Podcasts
  • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
    • Meet the 2021 winners
    • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Environment/Emissions
July 14, 2021 11:47 AM

Combustion engine ban proposal criticized by auto lobby groups

Cutting CO2 emissions to zero by 2035 is neither rational, nor effective, ACEA and CLEPA say

Staff and wire reports
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Electric car charging

    Automakers criticized the European Commission's proposal to effectively ban the sale of gasoline and diesel cars in the bloc by the middle of the next decade.

    The Commission's new climate package to slash planet-warming CO2 emissions, announced Wednesday, includes a target to reduce CO2 from new cars sold in the bloc to zero by 2035. The plan means it will not be possible to sell new combustion-engine cars in the EU from that date.

    Banning a single technology "is not a rational way forward" at this stage, the ACEA association of European automakers said.

    "We urge all EU institutions to focus on innovation rather than mandating, or effectively banning, a specific technology," ACEA President Oliver Zipse said in a statement.

    Zipse, who is BMW Group CEO, currently holds the presidency of ACEA, which rotates among the chief executives at Europe's automaker.

    As part of the Commission's Fit for 55 package announced on Wednesday, officials also are seeking a 55 percent reduction of CO2 emissions by 2030 compared with 2021, lifting an earlier target of a 37.5 percent reduction by the end of the decade.

    Zipse said the 2030 proposal requires a massive further increase in market demand for electric vehicles in a short time frame.

    "Without significantly increased efforts by all stakeholders -- including member states and all involved sectors -- the proposed target is simply not viable," he said.

    Germany's VDA auto association also criticized the 2035 phase-out date for combustion engines.

    "With the fleet limit value of zero grams planned for 2035, the EU Commission is in effect proposing a ban on internal combustion engines -- including in hybrids," said VDA President Hildegard Müller.

    "This is anti-innovation and the opposite of open to technology. It also restricts consumers' freedom of choice," Mueller said in a statement.

    The impact on jobs in this sector will be considerable, but the EU Commission has not made any assessment of the social consequences of its plans, the VDA said.

    Europe's suppliers' association, CLEPA, said the 2035 ban is "not the most effective or efficient way to climate neutral transport" in the EU.

    "It may not even get us there," said the association's secretary general, Sigrid de Vries, in a statement.

    De Vries said internal combustion engines are climate neutral when running on sustainable renewable fuels and battery-electric vehicles are climate neutral when charged with renewable electricity.

    "The priority should be renewable fuels and electricity, not a ban on a technology," de Vries said.

    Volvo welcomes curbs

    Some automakers were less pessimistic about the package.

    Volvo Cars welcomed the 2030 and 2035 targets, saying they give the industry a pathway toward an electric future and sufficient time "to phase out technology of the past."

    Volvo said the implied 2035 end-date for the sale of internal combustion-powered cars was "necessary if our industry is to support the EU in reaching climate neutrality by 2050."

    Daimler's development chief, Markus Schaefer, said the targets are "very, very ambitious."

    "It's not unrealistic, but it will require a major restructuring of society," Schaefer told Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche.

    "Setting up a charging infrastructure alone is a Herculean task including restructuring the energy industry," Schaefer said after the Commission's announcement.

    Passenger cars account for about 12 percent of total EU CO2 emissions, so reducing CO2 will be key to achieving the bloc’s overall climate goals.

    The Commission's plan will require approval by member states and the European parliament, a process that could take two years.

    Related Article
    Europe's CO2 emissions target for 2035 will ban sales of combustion engine cars
    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    EU's CO2 reduction goal is too weak, environment group says
    Recommended for You
    Electric car generic sign web 2022
    EU's CO2 reduction goal is too weak, environment group says
    VW Buzz, ID electric models
    EU lawmakers back 2035 combustion engine ban
    Mercedes-Badges.jpg
    Mercedes aims to cut carbon footprint in half by 2030
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Podcasts
    • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
        • Meet the 2021 winners
      • ANE Eurostars
        • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us